Decorticating apparatus.



' PATENTED MAR. 24, 1908;

T. E. MITCHELL & T. H. TOMBYLL.

DEGORTIOATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19, 1906,

witnesses PATIENTED MAR. 24, 1908.

T. E. MITCHELL & T. H. TOMBYLL.

DBCORTIGATING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 19, 1906..

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 882,766. PATENTED MAR, 24, 1908. T. 'B. MITCHELL & T. H. TOMBYLL.

DEGORTIGAT ING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION IILED JULY 19. 1906.

mun

No. 882,766. PATENTED MAR. 24, 1908. T. E. MITCHELL & T. H. TOMBYLL. DEOORTIGATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19. 1906? 6 SHEETSSHBET 4.

PATENTED MAR.= 24, 1908. T. E. MITCHELL & T. H. IOMBYLL.

DEGORTIGATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19, 1906.

' 6 SEEETS-SHEET 6.

PATENTED MAR. 24, 1908. MITCHELL a; T. a. TOMBZLL. DEGURTIGATING APPARATUS.

MPLIGATION IILEI) JULY 1.9, 1906.

. 6 SHEETS-433E213 6.

52 mfl 1 W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS EDWARD Mlltlll-lllll AND 'lllUllAS HANSEN TOMBYLL,

OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC,

CANADA, ASSIGNORS TU LOUIS ()VIDE (.lRUlllE, TRUSTEE, OF MONTREAL, CANAD A.

DECORTICATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 24, 1908.

Application filed July 19, 1906. Serial No. 326,950.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, 'lnoMAs EDWARD Mrronnm. and TnoMAs lIAxsm' 'lonnvrt, both of the city of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada, have invented certain new and useful ln'iprowinents in l)ecorticating Apparatus; and we.do hereby declare that the following is ai'ull, clear. and exact description of the same.

()ur invention has particular reference to tho decorticating of flax and producing of a flax fiber sliver, and may be said to consist in splitting longitudinally the fibrous bark of llax whether in a retted or a raw unretted condition and simultaneously breaking the woody matter of such flax and loosening the same from the bark, then straightening, drawing and scraping the flax and thereby expelling the woody matter and finally Colldensing the fibrous bark into a sliver.

in order to carry out our improved process we have devised an apparatus comprising feeding mechanism and a plurality of groups ofiluted rolls alternating with a plurality of pairs of scraping and drawing and straightening devices and arranged in sequence which terminates in a devicefor condensing into a sliver the flax fibers after having passed through the said groups of rolls and pairs of scraping, drawing and straightening devices the said rolls and scraping and drawing and straightening devices having a pro gressively increased speed of action throughout the sequence from the apron to the condensing device.

For full coniprehension, however, of our invention reference must be had to the at eompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar reference chars actors indicate the same parts and wherein Figure l is a plan view of one half of our improved apparatus including the feeding end; Fig. including the delivery end: Fig. I; is a side elevation of the portion of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. l Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the portion of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the feeding device and the first group of rolls; Fig. (3 is an enlarged side clevation, partly in section, of one of the web carrying frames; Fig. 7 is a transverse seetional view taken on line A, A, Fig. 5, and. Fig 8 is a detail side elevation ofthe housing of one of the groups of rolls.

2 is a similar view of the other half l J i l t l l l l l l speed of such bars they The feeding mechanism comprises two aprons a and a arranged in tandem and eachhaving combing pins o, and a pair of fluted compressing rollcrs a a located between the said aprons and serving to draw out or elongate the mass of flax, while a series of preferably three skeleton rolls 0 are provided, one located over the forward end of the a ron a and the other two being located over t is opposite ends of the apron a. This feeding mechanism feeds the raw unrettcd flax to the first group of fluted rollers (to be presently described) the rollers a (i having a peripheral speed higher than apron a and the apron a having a surface speed higher than the said speed of the rollers, while the skeleton rolls are driven by the aprons, the combing pins (L2 intermeshing therewith and these aprons and skeleton rollers coacting to supply the. said raw unrettcd this in and elongated and straightened state to the first group of fluted rolls e having a peripheral speed greater than. the apron (1. and serving to further elongate the mass and longitudi nally split the bark of the flax and break u the woody matter or 'shive. and loosen the latter from the bark and at the same time crush the pods and liberate the flax seed. The function of the skeleton rolls at the forward ends of the aprons is to hilhl the flax upon the pins and retards ori 'holds back every straw until it is actually t iken by the a slightly crushed fluted rolls, whether the intern ddiate fluted rolls and each comprising a plurality spaced bars mountet upon en less belts (the bars of the upper web being indicated at It and of the lower web at 'i) and the bars of one belt interdigitating with. the. bars of the other, take the crushed flax from the said fluted rolls and owing to the accelerated progressively con1-.. press and scrape the flax and consequently exert a successive. cxpulsive action u )on the woody matter and, simultaneously e longate the mass and straighten the fibers. A second group of fluted rolls, Ir, each having a 2 eeegree greater number of flutes than the rolls of the first roup and traveling at a preferably, slightly higher peri heral speed than the webs, take the partia ly cleaned llax from the latter and further cleanse it of shive and seeds; and the Han is then acted upon in turn by a second pair of endless webs (m. and a) of scraping bars traveling at a higher speed than the second group of lluted rolls, a third group of lluted rolls 0 with a greater number of flutes for the same diameter than the second group and rotating with a peripheral speed greater than the speed at which the second pair of webs travel, a third pair of webs r and s traveling at a. greater speed than the third group ol' rolls and a fourth group of lluted rolls t with a greater number oi llutes for the same diameter than the third group and rotating with a peripheral speed greater than the last pair oi webs. The llax owing to the alternate crushing and compressing and elongating and straightening emerges from the last group of rolls in a thoroughly cleansed state, and owing to the elongating and straightening action has its libers drawn out and to a certain extent loosened from one another, and it is delivered in this state upon an inclined table 'u having downwardly converging conraved walls a terminating at. a pair of smooth delivery rollers w in which tinallydeliverthe raw unrettedllaxliberstcondensed by the walls '1) in the form ol' a sliver.

The prcl'erred manner ol mounting the several operative elements of the apparatus and the preferred arrangement of the parts are as lollows:-- A main l'rame 2 supports a feeding l'rame 3 in which are mounted two pairs of shafts 4 and 4 with the apron carrying sprockct wheels 5 supported rigidly thereon (see Fig. 5), the pair ol' intermediate 'ilutcd rollers c" a, and the three skeleton presser rolls (r, the latter being supported in vertically elongated bearing brackets 7 in which they are tree to he lil'tgd by the mass as it passes, the said skeleton rolls being yieldingly maintained in bearing position by preferably light springs 7". A pair ol' chain guiding bars 8 are carried by transverse supporting bars l) resting in turn on brackets H) cast in this feeding l'ramc in line with and slightly below the top ol' the sprocket wheels and a pair ol' horizontal side boards 9 rabbeted as at llw are supported with their rabbcts in a plum at the level ol the top ol' the lending aprons. 'lwo pairs olcnd loss chains 12 and l2" are looped around the sprocket wheels in a manner to constitutisupports for the aprons o and u, and their uppermost portions are supported upon the guiding bars H while the plurality ol trans verse slats constituting the said aprons It, a, before mentioned, are secured rigidly to such chains and each alternate one carries the series of pins (1, which multil'arious series of pins are disposed in staggered relation in the direction of travel of the apron, the ends of such slats during the operation of the machine entering and traveling along the rabhets ot the sidr boards as they assume their carrying positioii. 'lhe skeleton presser rolls 1; as before mentioned bear lightly upon the surl'ace ot' the apron and the pressure thereof may be varied by adjusting screws 7". l Xi to the delivery end of this feeding and initial progressive compressing and elongating mechanism a pair of housings 25 Fig. 8 are bolted as at 26 to the main frame. A number ol' these housings are em 'iloyed to support the various sets of rolls and as all oi the said housings are of the same coi'istruction I will describe one only. The housing has mounted therein three pairs of bearing blocks made up of three stationary blocks 27 and three superimposed vertically movable blocks 28 the latter being caused by spri ngs 2E) and set screws 30 to hear yield inglv with variable tension upon the l'ormer,

- while these blocks are provided with Babbitt bushings Ill The lirst group ol rolls are made up in this lubricated through oil tubes 32-.

embodiment ol' our invention of six rolls and they are mounted in the said bearing blocks and each has prcl'erahly thirty-three llutcs while they are driven by three pairs ol' gears 34, it"), and an respectively, those of each pair intermcshing with one another but being separated l'roin the gears ol the other pairs, and an intermediate pinion 37 connects the pair 2'34 to the pair 35 and a second intermediate pinion 38 connects the pair 35 to the pair 3o thus causing rotation imparted to the lowermost roll 35 (by-sprocket wheel l'ig. l,tobc ll(]'(ll1ilil l/(I':tllll l()(l. to) in the direction indicated (Fig. 2 to be transmitted to the lowermost rolls ol' the pairs 34 and ac and cll'ecting a continuous l'eed movement l'rom the :Lu'oli throu h this series ol lluted rolls. A second pair of sinnlar housing ll] supporting the second group ol' rolls /v having prel'erably titty-live llutes each and mounted similarly to the group a and driven by a sprocket wheel l5 are located a distance l'rom this lirst group greater than the longest liber ol' llax; the third group 1 of rolls have prel rahly eighty-two llutes in -ach, and are mounted similarly to the groups and t and driven by a sprocket wheel l7, this third group being also located a distance l'rom the second group greater than the longest li u-r ol' llaX; and the rolls of the l'ourth ioup have prcl'erably ninetynine llutes in cut-h and are mounted similarly to groups 1: i. and o and driven by a sprocket Wheel 3!, such l'ourth group being locatcd at thidi-livi-ry end of the apparatus and at a distance l'rom the third group similar to that separating the third lrom the second.

'lhc up its! web tl ig. 15) has its endless carrying l iclts g which are in the l'orm'ol' shaft 100 mounted .1 07, having,

chains) looped over sprocket Wheels mounted rigidly upon a pair of shafts 61. and 62 in line with guide bars 63 supported by a pair of guide bearers 64 bolted to brackets 64 upon a supporting frame 65. The lower web '1, (of similar construction to the web It) is looped over sprocket wheels (it; mounted u on shafts 67 and 68 and in line with a pair 0 'guide-bars 69 supported by a pair of guide bearers 70 bolted to brackets 71 upon the said web-supporting frame. The shafts 61, 62, 67 and 68 are mounted in bearings 72, 73, 74 and 75 Fig. 6 carried by brackets 76, 77, 78and 79, respectively, the bearings 73 and 75 being adjustable horizontally upon their brackets, by means of screws 80, for the pur pose of tightening the webs, and the brackets76 and-77 being adjustafle vertically by means of screws 81 forthepurpose of setting the upper web relatively to the lower web and varying the extent of interdigitation. This websupporting frame 65 ith its webs l1 and 'i is located between the first and second groups of fluted rolls; a second frame 85 supporting the second pair of webs m and n in precisely the arrangementas the webs h and i, being lo' eatedbet een the second and third groups of fluted rolls; and a third frame 87 also similar in all respects to the frame 65 and supporting the third pair of webs r and s, is located between the third and fourth groups of fluted rolls.

The table u of the coi'idensing device is secured in any preferred manner to the end of the main frame and is supported )artially by a bracket 90 and a transverse.indlined sill 91 to which the lower end of the table. is rigidly secured and upon Which a pair of housings 92 are bolted, the latter carrying the condensing and delivering rolls w'and w the uppermost of which is of larger diameter than the lower.

We prefer to use a chain drive for our apparatusalthough other driving gear may be utilized if desired without departing from the spirit of our invention. The chain drive We employ is driven from a main driving in any suitable hc:u' ings not shown and having mounted thcrcon tight and loose pulleys 102 and 10.3 and large and small sprocket wheels 104, 105 having preferably twenty one and eight teeth respectively, a sprocket wheel 106 with, preferably, f'orty ninc teeth being mounted upon the same shaft as the sprocket wheel 3!) which has, preferably, ton teeth of smaller pitch, V

' preferably, twenty-eight teeth is mounted upon the same shaft as the sprocket wheel 45 "which has fourteen teeth of t chain .108 is looped around the said sprocket wheels 105,106 and 107. A sprocket wheel 109 having, preferably forty-one teeth same manner and -V\ ith the same and a sprocket wheel 10 same/pitch as wheel-39, while an endless t is, longitudinally mounted upon the same'shaft sprocket wheel 47 which has, preferably, fourteen teeth of the same pitch as wheels 39 and 4.5, a sprocket w heel l 10, having preferably twentyone teeth being mounted upon the same shaft l as sprocket n heel one teeth but of the same pitch as the teeth of wheels 39, 45 and 47, which as before mentioned is smaller, and an endless chain 112 is looped around the sprocket-wheels 104, 109 and 1.1 (J.

The driving gear as thus far described imparts different speeds from the main driving shaft to the four groups of rollers the first group having the lowest speed and the second third and fourth increasing progressively in their numerical order, and the first group imparts a lower speed than that at which the peripheries of its members travel to the feeding apron and each of the other forms a like function in relation to the webs following them. This effected by a sprocket wheel having, preferably,eighteen teeth (of the same pitch as the teeth of the sprocket wheel 39) mounted upon shaft 4- nearest the first group of fluted rolls and an endless chain 121 looped over such sprocket Wheels .120 and 39," a pair of sprocket wheels 122 and 123 each having preferably twentyone teeth of the same pitch as the sprocket Wheels 39 and 45, one being mounted upon the shaft 62 and the other upon the shaft 67 of the first pair of wel's, a tension sprocket wheel 124 mounted in a block 125 vertically adjustably secured to the frame 65 by means of a guide 126 and aset screw 127, and an endless chain 128 looped around the said sprocket wheels 45, 122, 124 and 123; a pair of sprocket wheels 12H and 129 corresponding in diameter and pitch of teeth to 122 and 123 are mounted upon the shafts, of the second pair of webs, corresponding to shafts 62 and (57 of the first pair and a tension sprocket 190 is adjustably mounted similarly to the tension sprocket 124, and an endless chain 131 is looped around the spocket wheels 47, 12!); and a corre- 128", and sponding pair of sprocket wheels 132 and 133 and tension sprocketwheel 134, are atively connected to the third pair of webs and have an endless chain fiifrlooped around them and sprocket wheel 51 all in a similar manner to sprocket wheels 122, 123, and 12s", 12?) and chains 1258 and 131; while a sprocket heel having preferably to only teeth is mountedhpon ashaft 141 upon which roll to is mounted and is operatively connected to a sprocket wheel 142 (having preferably twenty-one teeth, and mounted upon the same. shaft as sprocket'wheels ,5] and 111)) byan endless chain 145.,

liiorder to prevent the flax bunching on the feeding apron a, series of preferably three division hoards 150, 151, 152 are supported of the apron and with their groups per-- oper- 5] which has also twentylower edges in close proximity to the surface thereof by transverse carrier bars 153 supported in turn upon the sides of the feed frame. 'lhese division boards may be dispensed with if desired without departing from the spirit of our invention.

The operation ofthe apparatus is briefly as l'ollo\\'s:- lhe raw unrctted Ila-x is thrown upon the apron, (1', and owing to the higher speed ot' the member (1 is straightened by the combing pins (1/ and it is then led by the said mcmberu ol the apron, assisted by the presser roll c, to the lirst group of tluted rolls the increased peripheral speed of which exerts a drawing action upon the llax, while the intermeshing ot the ribs Formed by the. llutings breaks the woody matter into small pieces and splits the bark longitudinally. As the split and broken matterbegins to issue from this group ol rolls it is acted upon by the first pair of scraping and drawing and straightening webs which subject it to a compression progressing from such rollsand thereby'expelling the woody matter and at the same time lengthening the mass by drawing the llax libers released from those held by the said rolls until those held are released when they in turn will be drawn l'rom those following and held by the rolls, and in this manner the bark is partially cleansed ol' the woody matter and the libers are loosened to a certain extent l'rom-eaeh other. As the mass leaves the first pair ol' webs it is taken by the second group ol rolls and, owing to the increased-speed of the. latter, a further progressive compressing actionis exerted with a resultant expulsion olhard substances and simultaiuumsly the intermeshing ol' the ribs between the ilutings further break up the woody matter and loose it from the bark. 'lhe llax is then taken by the. second pair of webs which, owing to their increased speed, l'urther progressivelycompress it and, consequently cleanse it still more; the third group ol' rolls, third pair of webs and fourth group of rolls then successively take it amt alternately break the woody matter and expel it from the bark and in each instance split the bark more and more and loosen and separate the. long libers thus producetl t'rom eachother to a continually increasing extent until it is linally l'ed upon the condensing table in a loose hair-like long tibrous mass which is delivered in the term ot a. sliver.

Although we have described our apparatus as applied to the decortication ol' raw unretted llax it, can also be applied with advantage toretted [tax or other librous substances within the spirit ol' our invention.

What we claim is as lollows:

l. in an apparat us lordccorticatingtlax and the like the combination with means for shuultancously l'eeding and claiming the llax, ot a. pair ol' parallel traveling crushing or breaking members with their adjacent sides moving in the same direction and present?" 1 a plurality of axial edges, a pair of parallel traveling stripping members with their adjacent sides moving in the same direction and presenting a plurality of axial edges, stripping members having a greater speed than the crushing or breaking members for the purpose of expelling the Wood matter from the flax and the like, the stri ping mem bers being in close contiguity to t e crushing or breaking members and receiving the flax or the like directly therefrom, and the first" mentioned pair of parallel traveling crushing or breaking members being in close contiguity to andreceivitig the combed flax directly u from the feeding and combing means. i

2. A decorticating apparatus consisting of a sequence comprising a feeding and combing device, a series of groups of axially corrugated rolls, a series of pairs of webs presenting a plurality of transverse projecting edges and the edges of one of the webs of each pair being intercurrent with the edges of the other, the said groups of rolls and pairs of webs alternating and being in close contiguity and in direct communication with one another and the tirst member of the said series being in direct communication with the combing and 'l'ceding device.

' 3. A decorticating apparatus consisting of a sequence comprising a feeding and combing device, a series of" groups of axially corrugated rolls, a series of pairs of webs presenting a plurality of transverse projecting edges and the edges of one. of each pair being intercurrent with the edges of the other, the said groups of rolls and pairs of Webs alternating and being in close contiguity and in direct conununication with one another, each group and pair traveling at a greater speed than the group or pair following it and the [irst member of, the said series being in direct communieation with the combing and straighteningdevice.

t. A decorticating a sequence comprising a series of groups of axially corrugated rolls a series of pairs of webs presenting'a plurality of transverse projcctiug edges and the edges of one of the webs ot each pair iuterdigitating with the. edges ol the other, the said groups of rolls and pairs of webs alternating and being in close contiguity and in direct con'nnunication with one another, and means for condensing the decortieated matter into a sliver.

A decorticat ing apparatus consisting of a sequence comprising a series of groups of axially corrugated rolls, a series of pairs of webs presenting apluralityof transverse projecting edges and the edges of one of each pair interdigitating with the edges of the other, the said groups ol rolls and pairs of webs alternating and being in close contiguityand in direct communication with one another, each group and pair traveling at a apparatus consisting of 7 greater speed than the group or pair following it, and means for condensing the de -orticated matter into a sliver.

6. In combination, a feed device; a group of fluted rolls in close proximity to the delivery end of the feed device; a pair of coact ing traveling webs in elose proximity tothe' rolls and each made up of a pluralityof bars extending at an angle to their direction of trayel meansconnecting the bars flexibly together and means supporting the said webs; a condensing device in sequence with therolls and webs, and means whereby the rolls are caused to travel at a greater speed than the feed device and the webs at agreater speed than the rolls.

7. In combination, a feed device; a series of groups of fluted rolls the first'oi which is in close proximity to the delivery end of the feed device; a series of pairs of enacting traveling webs the first of which is in close proximity tothe said first group of rolls eaeh of said webs being made up of the plurality of bars extending at an angle to their direction. of travel means eonneeting the bars flexibly together and means supporting the said webs the other groups of the series al ternating with the other pairs of webs in a sequence terminating in. a group of rolls, a'

eondensing device in close proximity to the said last ment' med group of rolls, and means whereby each member of" the sequences is caused to travel at a greater speed than the member following the same.

in testimony, we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence oi two subscribing witnesses.

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